270 



THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



[Vol. 



Vlll, 



air, throughout the entire period of its existence. Mr. Gr. P. 

 Marsh * draws attention to the observations made in Switzerland 

 on the hygrometric functions of snow in relation to the conden- 

 sation of atmospheric vapor by the snows and glaciers of the 

 Rhone Basin. It is estimated that the total of this condensation 

 is nearly equal to the entire precipitation of the valley. There 

 can be no doubt that permanent snow drifts on the Labrador 

 condense an immense amount of moisture, which must find its 

 outlet during the summer months in the counterpart of minia- 

 ture glacial rivers, and these proceeding from a snowdrift a 

 square mile in area, will be no insignificant streams. There are 

 very many such drifts on the N. E. Labrador coast. 



The following tables show the existence of a great snow zone 

 in North America stretching far down into temperate latitudes, 

 which is doing extensive geological work on the Labrador. 

 It there represents a modern and existing continuation of work 

 formerly done over wide-spreading areas farther to the south, 

 and in its mode of operation it represents, in innumerable miuia- 

 ture forms, the action of alpine glaciers, and is yet thousands of 

 feet below the line of perpetual snow, in the ordinary acceptation 

 of the term. 



1. Table showing the Annual Snow Fall in the several Provinces 

 of the Dominion of Canada, and in Newfoundland.^ 



IN INCHES. 



* " The Earth as Modified by Human Action." By George P. Marsh. 

 New York, 1874. 



f These tables are framed from the data contained in the extensive 

 and important series published under the supervision of Professor 

 Kingston at Toronto, in the Reports of the Meteorological Office of 

 the Dominion of Canada. 



